President Maia Sandu stated on Wednesday in a podcast that, although the summer has been relatively mild so far in the Republic of Moldova, the drought and extreme temperatures in the region have already caused an energy crisis and a water crisis, and in these conditions, there are no „magic solutions,” as Moldova needs to secure its energy needs through imports.
Maia Sandu urged citizens to consume electricity and water resources rationally, given the alert situation in the energy and hydrological sectors decreed by the government in Chișinău.
"Even though we've had a nice summer so far, with bearable temperatures and even some rain, the drought on the continent and high temperatures have caused these situations: the energy crisis and the water crisis," stated Maia Sandu on the "Political Journal" podcast.
There are no magic solutions
The head of state warned that if there is not enough rain in the near future to resume electricity production in the region, there will be "more complicated" situations than at present.
"We need to be aware that there are no magic solutions, and if it doesn't rain soon enough to restart the electricity production plants in the region, then we'll have more complicated situations than today. The same goes for water flow," stated the head of state.
In this context, the president urged citizens to be "very careful" with waste and mentioned that it would be a "tragedy" if the capital of the Republic of Moldova, the city of Chișinău, were to run out of water, as reported by TV8 and NewsMaker.
"We need to consume with great care. I know that many people need water not only for consumption but also for irrigation. I understand that they have worked, they have grown plants, and they want a good harvest to make a profit, but I believe we can still save. It's one thing to water the vegetables and another to water the grass, which can wait, even if we want our yard and country to be beautiful," stated Maia Sandu.
Furthermore, she urged citizens to consume water and electricity as efficiently as possible, especially during peak hours, to avoid paying higher tariffs, as the Republic of Moldova would be forced to buy energy at high prices.
Over a quarter of the electricity comes from Romania
Currently, the Republic of Moldova imports approximately 40% of its electricity from Romania. However, due to the significant decrease in the Danube's water level, which affects energy production, several power plants have reduced their production capacity, including the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant.
On Tuesday, despite the authorities' appeal to the population to reduce electricity consumption between 9:00 PM and 11:00 PM, the Republic of Moldova recorded a deficit of approximately 130 MWh during peak hours.
According to Prime Minister Vasile Tofan, the deficit was covered by purchasing energy from the exchange at prices two to three times higher. Moldova was at risk of facing a new electricity deficit on Wednesday.
Inspections on the Dniester River
The Minister of Environment of the Republic of Moldova, Gheorghe Hajder, and a team of specialists, conducted a working visit to Ukraine on Tuesday and inspected several critical points on the Dniester River, given the decreasing water level. Moldovan and Ukrainian officials assessed the situation at water intake stations and the reservoir at Novodnestrovsk, discussing measures to ensure water supply to the population and manage available reserves.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Environment, the delegation inspected the water intake station that provides drinking water to the city of Hotin. Due to the low level of the Dniester River, additional measures were implemented to maintain the water flow to the intake area and avoid interruptions in the population's water supply.
Officials also visited the reservoir at Novodnestrovsk, the main water reserve of the Dniester River. According to the presented data, an average of about 30 cubic meters of water per second entered the reservoir in recent days, while the outflows were around 85 cubic meters per second. In these conditions, authorities are using water from the strategic reserve to ensure water supply to the population and maintain the necessary flows downstream.